Ohio Right to Life
Ohio Right to Life is an anti-abortion activist group based in Columbus, Ohio. It was established in 1967 by Jack Willke and his wife, Barbara. Its president is Michael Gonidakis, who Ohio Governor John Kasich controversially appointed to the state medical board in 2012. The organization has drawn criticism from other anti-abortion groups for not supporting fetal heartbeat bills, which it considers to be too drastic a challenge to Roe v. Wade. Instead, they favor "chipping away" at Roe incrementally, beginning with laws banning abortion after 20 weeks' gestation. Because of its opposition to heartbeat bills, Willke himself criticized the organization in 2011, saying, "...after nearly 40 years of abortion on demand, it's time to take a bold step forward." The organization has attempted to lobby the Ohio state legislature to ban dilation and evacuation.
